CANVAS PILOT: Student Survey Results, Fall 2015 • •

Response rate: 30% (total responses = 260) A total of 20 unique courses in fall are represented in this survey

HOW OFTEN DID YOU USE CANVAS? Every day

A few times a week

Once a week

A few times during the quarter

100% 90% 80% 70%

51%

60% 50%

12%

20%

10%

30%

27%

40%

10% 0%

1

HOW OFTEN DID YOU USE CANVAS? BY COURSE SUBJECT Every day

9%

17%

57%

57%

17%

58%

44%

LATIN

53%

16%

16%

67%

15%

33%

65%

32%

EARTH SCIENCE

33%

COLLEGE 10

22%

4%

5%

56%

16%

GREEK

ANTHROPOLOGY

44%

32%

MATHEMATICS

ECONOMICS

A few times during the quarter

43%

PSYCHOLOGY

HISTORY

Once a week

56%

WRITING

POLITICS

A few times a week

19%

59%

33%

56%

9%

33%

22%

2

WHAT CANVAS FEATURES DID YOU USE? Grades Announcements Modules Quizzes Email Piazza Media Library Mobile app (phone or tablet)

2% 2%

SpeedGrader 0%

13% 12% 10% 8% 8% 7% 7% 6%

10%

18%

20%

26%

30%

64%

33% 33%

40%

50%

60%

93%

71% 69%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Other CANVAS features used (open-ended) Response My instructor used another outside quiz programme that she integrated with Canvas. to sign up for lss tutorinh Files used to find prof and student emails Reading None Valid Responses

6

3

WAS THIS YOUR FIRST TIME USING CANVAS? Yes

No

7%

93%

4

SATISFACTION WITH FEATURES THAT STUDENTS USED Dissatisfied 100%

4%

90%

5%

9%

3%

3%

1%

Somewhat satisfied 4%

11%

Satisfied

60%

72%

73%

64%

74%

81%

76%

50%

76%

82%

67%

2%

7%

4%

5%

25%

80% 70%

No opinion

77%

50%

86%

33%

71% 83%

79%

100%

84%

40%

33%

30% 20% 10% 0%

17%

19%

14%

6%

8%

21%

16% 11%

12% 3%

12%

3% 13%

15% 7%

11% 12% 3%

11%

14% 13% 2%

25%

14%

14%

8% 6%

8% 8%

9% 3%

17%

Features that were missed in CANVAS (open-ended) Response The announcements feature was not the most readable at times, and did not email me every time an announcement was sent out. That may have been whatever setting my instructors were using, but it was not the most clear. 5

The few quizzes I took through Canvas were generally clunky and not clear. i had multiple courses using canvas and the top tab showing the course name was cut off so it only showed course code name so it was confusing to know which course I was on Compatibility with tablet and phone it's too messy. the dates get messed up. the interface is not intuitive. I felt that the instructions for a lot of things were confusing. Myself, and many other students in my class had a hard time learning how to submit everything. However, this may be because we have never used Canvas before and there was little support at the time of our instruction from ITS (I work for the Help-Desk, and we weren't told that Canvas was being implemented). I tried using the app but for some reason UCSC didn't show up in the school list I thought the ability to do a "what-if" scenario was awesome Personal customization Better mobile app to check grades and assignment postings I much prefer the Ecommons intuitive layout features i thought were missing was when we had to open up a paper/article/extra material. instead of opening up a window of the file. it would have to download then you would have to open that download outside of the website. I wish I could see all of my peers' comments on assignments that we all work together on. I wasnt given the access code to canvas so i was unable to use the whole quarter. The interface is the worst system I've used Not user friendly and doesn't even work on all devices I just thought the format was really difficult to use. Often my professor would reference something but I wouldn't find it until weeks later. I think there is such thing as too many features canvas never connected with my mobile app that we used to take/ answer question quizzes in class. I lost some point because of it. Extremely dissatisfied.

6

You could only submit the homework once, causing you to find out what questions you got wrong and not being able to correct it. Which isn't very helpful because you don't get to fix your mistake and get a lozy grade for that homework. This system is just confusing and not easily navigable. There were problems finding things, and on the teacher side finding how to post things, which complicated things for us students who needed documents. eCommons is better. TA forced the entire class to use Canvas. Nothing. The posted notes and power points were impossible to scroll through and read. This was extremely annoying! It was difficult to navigate from email to canvas even though it was supposedly possible according to the announcements. Automatically calendar upload Nothing. n/a Grades were a night mare to decipher, the site was all around too cluttered and chaotic None overall pretty easy to navigate We do not utilize discussions and I believe it is invaluable to build classroom community. I don't think it is offered on our canvas at all. Speedy file load. It seemed like sometimes I would receive notices in my email on announcement/assignments posted to Canvas, and other times they would not be sent and I would have to check the website. making that feature consistent would be helpful, or being explicit to the instructor as to what items are forwarded in emails Valid Responses

30

7

HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR SATISFACTION WITH CANVAS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS? Dissatisfied

Somewhat satisfied

0%

10%

6%

54%

27%

5%

69%

21%

5%

8%

60%

13%

NAVIGATING THE INTERFACE

31%

35%

25%

7%

AVAILABILITY OF RELEVANT TOOLS/FEATURES/OPTIONS

No opinion

22%

11%

BUILT-IN HELP

RELIABILITY (I.E., LOADS QUICKLY, DOESN'T CRASH OR LOSE DATA, ETC.) Q

Satisfied

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

90%

100%

DID CANVAS HELP YOU... No

To some extent

Yes

FIND THE RESOURCES YOU NEEDED TO DO YOUR WORK FOR THE COURSE?

53%

39%

8%

0%

63%

26%

11%

COMPLETE AND SUBMIT YOUR WORK FOR THE COURSE?

37%

38%

25%

INTERACT WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR, TAS, OR CLASSMATES?

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

8

OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH CANVAS Dissatisfied

Somewhat satisfied

4%

Satisfied

Not sure

11%

18%

67%

9

WOULD YOU LIKE CANVAS TO BE USED IN YOUR OTHER COURSES? Yes

No

Unsure

26%

54% 20%

Reasons to use CANVAS in other courses (open-ended) Response net positive in maximizing efficiency. Very easy to use and quick communication time with instructors its easier and more efficient than ecommons It was as easy break down of my grades and it was as up to date as much as the professor changed it. I don't care either way if it's used but I would side more with yes than unsure or no. It seems equivalent to ecommons although I haven't used ecommons for discussions yet and we did use Canvas for online discussions. While canvas could improve in some ways, its much better than ecommons

10

Easier to navigate I like the online quizzes a lot better than the discussion format on ecommons It is very easy to use and access. Everything you need is just a click away and I like the gradebook system as well It is convenient and "all in one place". It could potentially replace e-commons? the "what-if" scenario option helped me out immensely. It is easy to navigate through and the layout looks much more organized. I like that we know how we are doing in the course as the quarter progresses. We get to see our grades on assignments shortly after completing them whereas with most of my other classes who use ecommons I never get to see an overall percentage of my grade in the class. I like knowing this because then I know what to improve on in the course throughout the quarter before the course ends. Most classes I just receive a final grade and that's it, never knowing how a test or assignment affected my grade and I don't like that. it is so much easier to navigate than ecommons and provides many additional resources I like that you could estimate your grade by predicting what you think you might get as a grade in an assignment and it gives you an estimated grade in the class. I think for STEM course it would be wonderful because all the information (lecture slides, grades, hw assignments etc.) are on one central site. Piazza could use some work however. I do not recommend this for humanities or social sciences because those class rely heavy on readings, class discussions, TA/student interaction and student/student interaction. thats why google classroom is awesome. in summary good fro stem and maybe even simple GE course or lower divs but, not for ALL Canvas seems to be more multimedia friendly and I like that. It's a more reliable format than Ecommons and Piazza. One inconvenient factor was the fact that I had to use Ecommons for some classes and Canvas for this class. If this became the new standard it would be an overall better experience. I would like canvas to be used in my other courses because it lets you know the progress of the class. it is more accessible. Most of the class resources are all on one interface making it easy to find what you need and connect to peers and your professor. I really hate eCommons. The collaboration tool seemed to be the most useful, and most distinct feature, of Canvas. This is a huge improvement over eCommons Well organized

11

I'm currently using canvas in two of my classes this quarter and I find it infinitely easier to use than ecommons. The interface is prettier, files are easier to find, and it's easier to communicate with my classmates and instructor, which ecommons doesn't have. Easier to navigate than ecommons I like that we always have an update on our grades so we can check how we are doing everything they grade an assignment I like it over eCommons, because it is easy to navigate through the site. It's easy to navigate Great platform, more user friendly than e commons Seems like a simple tool to use, the quizzes were a nice touch. Ease of interface It was helpful. because of the fancy title I think it is easier to navigate than Ecommons. It is better streamlined. I've had no problems with it so far and it's a nice hub of information for the course. I know how to use it now Easier to navigate I think Canvas is a great source for everyone to use because it helps you be on track when in class and for homework and well. Canvas is easier to navigate than eCommons. I felt that it was more organized. It is simple and relatively easy to use. Just beware which modules you pair with it like aleks. I really liked the piazza feature. It allowed me to discuss with other students and instructors on how to go about problems that I didn't understand It was formatted nicely and it was easy to use. Easy to use It's simple to use It was easy to navigate and had everything linked in one place.

12

its very organized Everything you need is all in one place which is helpful I liked the portfolio and discussion options, ive never really seen that in websites ive used with classes. the peer edit's were very good too. i dont see any reason not to use this with other classes It was easy to use and well organized. Easier and all classes would be on it so it would be more convenient for time purposes it was useful and helpful I'm used to it now I like how my grade is posted and up to date rather than not be 100% sure what I have in the class. Similar to eCommons, easy access to online homework for math courses. I login through Canvas instead of the actual online homework site. If I forget my password, I know I can log on through Canvas. It is convenient and easy to access. easier to navigate than a lot of other class sites, such as sapling its easy and helpful It's effective and the modules are so easy to use. You don't get constant emails unlike other programs. It's very link friendly. i would like canvas to be used in other courses because it made it very easy for me to navigate through the system and it kept me updated with upcoming assignments. canvas is easy to navigate and helps me keep track of my assignments and grades. It is easy to navigate. It is a better way to navigate than eCommons. I enjoy the layout that Canvas uses. It's easy to navigate through it and everything can be easily found. I think other courses should use Canvas because of it's simplicity. Because it allows me to follow along with my grade and my assignment statuses. It was easy to navigate and i already got the hang of it... I really dont care i could ajust to any program It is fast and simple.

13

It is helpful for teacher to student communication. I like how easy it is to navigate through Canvas. It is a much easier website to navigate than ecommons. Also more visually appealing and organized in layout. I would very much prefer to use this site over ecommons for every class. Canvas is very straightforward and easy to navigate. The interface is more useful than Ecommons in terms of resources and modules, as well as communication with professors and peers. The announcements and messages are clear and the notifications are always the first thing you see when you log in. Simply put, it is not as complicated or clunky as Ecommons. Other courses at UCSC use ECommons, which is much more difficult to navigate and use, especially on a smart device. Canvas far exceeds ECommons. However, since most of UCSC's classes use ECommons, it is difficult for there to be just one class which uses Canvas because you have to switch to another platform for only one course. It is just as good as ecommons, and I think it is cheaper for the university to liscence. Net positive in maximizing efficiency. Its super simple yet very complicated in what it can do. if used right it is a god-send. If used poorly its a nightmare. Valid Responses

74

Main reason not recommending the use of CANVAS in other courses (open-ended) Response Depends on the outline of the course. Canvas puts more work online and takes away time which could be used for actual work. I did not like a lot of the features on canvas and how the files option just clumps together all of the assignments. When trying to click another page or scroll it will sometimes take you to the next file. The only way to fully view a file is to download it hoping you clicked the correct one. I am not sure if that is canvas or the professor uploading the documents and not namin them but it should be a lot simpler to open readings and files. interface is ridiculous to understand. too many sections and then subsections. simplify the interface! All my other classes use ecommons and it is a hassle to use canvas for just one class I feel that the professors need to be further trained on Canvas before fully implementing it. I liked that canvas can be used to give individual critiques about paper in an anonyous way, but I, personally dislike reading online. I think that it kind of takes away a personable way of interaction that one would have with a physical paper that can be highlighted. Canvas was also mainly used for busy assignments and not so much class

14

discussions so the level of serious work to canvas was not a lot so there wasn't much need to really try and take it seriously. In fact using a site to complete assignments is sometimes more work especially when you have to google the site everytime and re-login. It always said my assignments that I'd turned in on time were past due. I think it's because my professor was not that involved in it we didnt use it all too much I wouldn't recommended this for other classes because not a lot of professors like electronic submissions of homework overall, canvas is lent really for writing intensive major but some that are more simplistic or understanding to electronic submissions. I HATE CANVAS. For so many reasons including the total lack of usability, the ability to instantly delete your entire groups work with one accidental click of a button, and how I spent hours making a museum page that I apparently did not click something to save and it instantly disappeared never to be seen again. I really hope canvas does not become a thing, it was definitely not popular among my classmates, common phrasing being "Canvas sucks." Lets just stick with ecommons. I don't see why Canvas is necessary when students are already required to be using eCommons, myUCSC, and gmail. As a replacement for eCommons, Canvas is a fine option, but I don't need a fourth marriage to the internet when it comes to school related communication. I have used eCommons in the past, i dont really have a preference for either. I do like the "what-if" grade options on Canvas though. It's not as simple or clearly organized as Ecommons Using multiple websites to access grades is extremely annoying. Please choose either Canvas or the original website interface and stick with it. I felt like it complicated interactions with the professor and TAs. The interface was harder to navigate than ecommons and the readings were more difficult to view than they are on ecommons. Announcements didn't appear in my email as directly from the professor so they were easily overlooked. Generally, I just feel that eCommons is a better service and CANVAS doesn't improve on it in any way, and in some ways actually felt more bloated and distant from the instructors. I recently went on it to print out a syllabus but the class was no longer there. Real disappointment! I'm used to the other class site that most classes use, making me hesitant about switching over. I do NOT want this system replacing discussion courses because it does not provide the same benefits to students. Also, I do not want to only have access to my professor through online systems because I cannot have an open discussion with my professors that way. Nothing separates it from other, similar services It's similar to e- commons which is used in most classes. It is not a user friendly interface. Ecommons is a 100x better in application and usefulness I just prefer email/ecommons. I have finally learned ecommons, I don't want to switch to something more complicated

15

Canvas was too confusing sometimes. There were too many places for the instructor to but documents and a lot of the time they were difficult to find. it seems pretty much the same as ecommons! it was inconvenient having to use canvas for this class while my other classes were still on ecommons, and the log in process is tedious-too many steps. There are too many features and it's too complicated. Canvas never connected to my reef polling the mobile app we used to take quizzes with and I lost some credit because of it. I went to ITS and not even they were able to help. Different classes use different interface to match their needs, not sure to what extent Canvas can be used for classes. Not completely relevant to my science courses. Confusing and not easily navigable. Teacher related having issues posting to the site which impacted our interaction with certain documents. I am more used to using eCommons for most of my classes eCommons is better. TA forced the entire class to use Canvas. It was inconvenient because half of my classes used eCommons and only one class used canvas. It's too complicated, ecommons is simple and direct. Students don't have time to fidget with a glitchy website while trying to focus on course work! The interface is confusing. It was never clear where assignments were posted and how to easily find them. I had to search for where they were and where I was suppose to post things. It is frustrating to have professors using multiple online course formats. If all professors would agree to use one it would be much simpler, but having it this way just adds stress and makes going to Canvas an extra inconvenience. It depends on the subject matter. I liked the program, but it was not my favorite. For this class, it was satisfactory. But for a math class, I wouldn't want to use it. I dont have enough experience with it. I don't have a strong opinion on it i don't care about it it's just as good as any website I just don't feel that strongly about it. I don't know how well it would work for other subjects Pages are hard to find and navigate All my other classes are on eCommons so it would be easier to have everything there. It has some flaws but is still useful.

16

Hard to navigate I would definitely consider it if it joined with all the other programs or modules that we pay almost or over $100 for so that we can save that money for paying off student loans, food, and other necessities. Cause no. I could do with, I could do without There are just better services available eCommons seems a perfectly acceptable tool to use for our courses. The mobile app for Canvas is a good feature that I would like eCommons to adopt but I don't really see it as a deal breaker. Too many glitches. Sometimes it will open and other times it stalls. Every professor has had difficulty using the site and sometimes the files become mixed together making it difficult to find readings and other coursework. I primarily do not want the experience of navigating canvas, ecommons, and google drive in the same quarter again. for gods sake, I wish the university and its professors would pick one program and stick to it so I don't have to log in to 3 different websites to check my assignments each week Valid Responses

52

17

WHAT LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS HAVE YOU USED IN YOUR COURSES? eCommons/Sakai

91%

Canvas

60%

Blackboard

17%

Google Classroom

11%

Other

7%

Moodle

5% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Other familiar LMS platforms used (open-ended responses)

Personal websites from professors. Piazza webassign Piazza Piazza tophat Piazza PowerSchool Piazza

18

Angel Webassign, mymathlab edmodo Class website, pinnacle, synergy piazza Valid Responses

14

19

LMS RANKING BY PREFERENCE 1st Choice

10%

8%

2nd Choice

3rd Choice 5%

4th Choice

11%

5th Choice

6th Choice

10%

9% 7% 14%

20%

7% 28%

8%

36%

34% 14%

10%

6%

25%

15% 17%

23%

32%

33% 25%

18% 17%

35%

12%

12%

13%

30% 19%

9%

12%

12% 2%

CANVAS

BLACKBOARD

GOOGLE CLASSROOM

MOODLE

ECOMMONS/SAKAI

OTHER

20

General student user feedback (open-ended) Response Loading times for uploads could be improved. Make the lefthand pages interface more editable. Instructors will use each page to their own devices, and due to the format in place for each page it has been unclear where things are. I strongly prefer ecommons but if canvas is the new website then it should be tweaked to get rid of all the discrepencies students have Mot compatible for tablet. Would have been helpful and appreciated Canvas does work well on mobile if you don't have the app. It was difficult to change the email settings

I think if the class was more integrated with using the system it would be more beneficial, however, this is not canvas' fault; the teacher should do this I did not like using canvas and that idea was only cemented into place when my whole project was deleted for seemingly no reason after a whole nights work. Awful experience. Love that you can re-submit assignments. Did not like it I think CANVAS has potential to be useful if it operates more like eCommons. If readings didn't have to open in Box.com etc, I'd have found it a bit easier to work with. I'd also love it if resources/readings could be opened as a pdf or adobe reader file, or else downloaded and saved so they could be read even when there was no wifi on my computer. Some features were hard to find or seemed to disappear and reappear. Otherwise it was a handy tool. I wish I could see my peers' comments on our papers that we submit to everyone in that course. Nothing negative came of it, but nothing specifically positive either. What makes canvas any better than econmons or other similar services? I never want to use this again. Entirely negative expirence. From not being able to access it on devices, to missing/ glitching files logging into canvas involves too many steps and it's annoying I love canvas! I would be thrilled beyond belief if it were used across the entire university. 21

Also the app is really helpful It was confusing at first, but I got used to the way of the website Would not recommend this system to be used again. Many times I got the anser correct it was marked as incorrect & that was frustrating. eCommons is better. Thanks for trying to make learning easier and more enjoyable. It's a great program It has a great interface, maybe you might consider adding more vibrant colors. nope, its a great tool thanks I don't really recall using Math 2 with Mrs. Nandini often if at all. I like the color scheme I would prefer Canvas, I found I was actually able to stay more on top of assignments using it than my classes listed on ecommons. The one teacher who used Canvas is, by far, the worst teacher I have had. I don't think it is entirely fair to judge your program based on this, but considering my contempt for tHe teacher's ability to analyze her environment, it makes me wonder if Canvas may be another lapse of judgement on her part. Please switch everything to canvas! The calendar, modules, assignments, grades, and pretty much every aspect of it is easier to navigate and use over all the other websites. Please speed up upload times. Personally Canvas is a great website I just prefer eCommons and its simple layout over the complex one of CAnvas I had to log in through the UC campuses page every time I wanted to visit the website, which was frustrating. also, we would receive forwarded emails through canvas but couldn't actually hit "reply" on our email to respond, we had to go to the website and navigate from there, which was a bit cumbersome. Valid Responses

33

22

STUDENT SURVEY RESPONSES BY COURSE TYPE Graduate

Undergrad

5%

95%

STUDENT SURVEY RESPONSES BY COURSE SUBJECT Anthropology

7%

College 10

3%

Earth Science

8%

Economics

10%

Greek

1%

History

7%

Latin

7%

Mathematics

36%

Politics

13%

Psychology

3%

Writing

3% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

23